With You
by lovesickjily
Summary: James reinforces his resolution to have the best summer of his life when his girlfriend is stuck babysitting someone other than him. For Jily Summer Fest.


With each fleeting year and each year a wasted summer, James's determination to have an amazing summer grew stronger, and this year, he was _going_ to have it. If he spoke it into existence, then surely it would come true.

The pool was a great way to kick it off, a start for something great, and the clouds had even given way to the poor occupants of this planet, deciding that they'd treat the people of the London area by _not_ gracing them with their presence. The sky was as blue as it could possibly be, almost as if James had covered his eyes with a paint color sample of that exact shade from the hardware store.

His usual, thick-lensed glasses were traded for sunglasses.

Shirt, _off_. Swimming trunks, _on_. A desire for a fun summer, _flickering between on and off._

The water felt cool against his legs, toes, and just whatever part of him that it could reach as he lied on the pool float, a sharp contrast to the searing heat that the sun imposed upon the foolish occupants of this planet. The sun glared down at him, shining down on his bronze-colored skin as he dared it to bring on the challenge, skin cancer be damned because he'd more than enough stressed the importance of sunscreen.

But then… something was amiss.

He could have deluded himself as much as he wanted, but this facade of a typical summer just didn't feel right.

Maybe he should have taken it as a sign, an indication that no matter how bright the sun was or how perfect the weather appeared to be, what with the lack of any clouds in the sky, he would much rather the bloody stupid sun burn his eyes off than lounge about in the pool without a certain someone. He could have been served the best slice of watermelon from the finest produce the world could have procured for him and been provided with the most perfect lemonade, the sweet and sour balancing each other other just amazingly, and it _still_ wouldn't matter, because a certain redhead wasn't there to enjoy them with him.

And what was life without someone to enjoy it with?

He had a _girlfriend_ now, one that he loved very dearly, who he very much wanted to leave an impressionable summer in her memory forever.

He'd written a _bucket list_ for everything that he'd wanted to do with her, and though some parts were _highly_ unrealistic— climb a tall mountain only to plunge into the surrounding body of water, for one— or extremely inappropriate, he was open to compromise, so long as he got to make the most of it all with her. The problem was, well, Lily wasn't here with him now. She'd found _another man,_ and it didn't quite matter if the culprit was only five years old, because _James_ was younger than her, so what did that really say about her?

No, this won't do.

Not at all.

He _had_ to do something.

He'd nearly started to get up from the blasted inflatable, but Sirius, who had taken advantage of James's contemplative state, had beaten him to it, moving as quietly as he could in the water towards him and then promptly pushing James off the float. He was offered no apology, no words of sympathy, _nothing_ , as he felt the water submerge him, and for a second, he let his guard down, thinking that at least underwater he was safe from Sirius's hands.

And then the float came down on his head.

"What the hell, Padfoot?" he seethed, the water dripping from his hair onto his face as it obscured his already-deteriorating vision. He pushed his hair out of his face, an action that he knew a certain redhead would _squeal_ over, if said woman was actually _there_ with him.

"Didn't see you there. You nearly blended in with the water. Anyone could have made the same mistake."

"I'm… not the same color as the water?"

"No, but you're just as transparent."

James shook his head at his friend's antics and threw the float back at him, his athletic expertise ensuring that it landed perfectly on his head, and he found much satisfaction in how precisely it had pelted him.

"Play nice, James," his mother scolded him from her comfortable spot on her lounge chair, peering over at them over the reading glasses sitting atop her nose, and she looked to be the epitome of pure luxury, simply because she _was_.

"But Mum—"

"Would you still have done that if Lily was around?"

" _Yes_ ," he clipped with an air of exasperation, "And she would have joined me in our Sirius bashing."

"Lily _loves_ me," Sirius put in.

"Lily is the queen of deceit," James replied, and with that, he climbed out of the pool, slinging his towel around his neck once he had dried himself off and began to make a beeline towards the house.

"Where are you going?" Sirius called after him.

"To get laid," he said, and he was immediately met with various comments from the two— a wolf whistle from Sirius and an emphasis on the use of protection from his mother—, but he paid no heed to them, leaving the two to their devices.

Summer was a time for loads of things, and regret was _not_ among those things.

* * *

Although the idea of summer was exciting enough that Lily could nearly _smell_ the scents that one would associate with the concept— sunscreen, the saltiness of the ocean, popsicles— she knew that each year the season came around, it'd be nowhere near as exhilarating as she thought it'd be.

James had promised that they'd have the time of their lives— he _promised_ — even going as far as writing out an elaborate bucket list for the two of them to complete. She knew that they'd probably not be able to scale an entire mountain and then jump off of it into the ocean, though that sounded _wicked_ , but she was willing to do the tasks that would make a nun cry of embarrassment with him. Wearing a sundress without knickers? She'd do it only for James.

He'd been so sweet and adorable about the entire ordeal, that boyfriend of hers, that she couldn't bring it in her heart to tell him that she'd already made plans with the neighbours to take care of their child for three weeks while their nanny kicked it off on her cruise to the Bahamas and then a visit to some of the other major cities of Europe. Needless to say, he'd been devastated when she'd brought the news to him.

Her usual, gorgeous boyfriend was traded for an adorably, chubby-faced five-year-old.

Shirt, _on, obviously._ Spare clothes, _on_. A desire for a fun summer, _on._

And Lily didn't mind the situation all that much, because even though the child required her full and utmost attention at all times, she couldn't resist his large blue eyes and contagious laughter, precious Jack, who she'd nicknamed Jack-Jack after the icon himself. He was a sweet little thing, only crying when he knew he'd been in the wrong and when he missed his parents— she knew, because she'd babysitted him in the past— but those cases were easily resolved.

Today, Day 6, was to be a relaxing day. Jack had chosen on staying home, simply because his favorite program was on, and who was Lily to deny a child of something that he loved? She had been watching with him, amused as the main character consistently addressed the viewers as if _they_ were part of the show too, but she knew it wouldn't be long until she became annoyed by the character.

Her phone buzzed, and her eyes darted towards Jack. Seeing that he was still occupied with the television in front of them, she picked her phone up, reading the text that James had sent her.

 **James Potter** : babeeeeee. where are you

 **Lily Evans:** I'm babysitting? For the neighbours? I've told you this already.

 **James Potter** : i know but you're not answering the door. i rung it about 5014982 times too

 **James Potter** : well not really i just wanted you to feel bad

 **Lily Evans:** Are you at my house?

 **James Potter** : yeah

 **Lily Evans:** James, I'm babysitting AT the neighbours' house. I won't be home until nighttime.

 **James Potter:** why didn't you tell me that? looked like a bloody idiot, i did. the old lady across the street stared at me like i was a psycho

 **Lily Evans:** The audacity! We all know that REAL psychos would climb in through the window.

 **Lily Evans:** Also please come quickly. If the tiger on the telly asks me one more time what my favorite pastime is I think I might explode.

 **James Potter:** i'm already knock ding dong

And true to James's words, he'd arrived at the door, his taps at the door in sync with his text. Jack gave a start, and he tugged at the hem of her shirt, looking up at her with wide eyes. "Who is it?"

"An idiot," she answered, but she got up from her spot on the couch anyway, and he followed, his small feet scrambling to keep up with her. She opened the door, and there stood James, his hair dripping wet as if he'd just stepped out of the shower, or, to fit the summer theme more, looking as if he'd stepped out of the pool. Maybe even both.

"Hey, love. You look gorgeous," he smiled at her, leaning down to press a kiss on her lips, and it probably would have been longer had it not been for the small child standing right by them, who had let out an immediate gasp at their display of affection.

"Ms. Lily! You'll get cooties!" Jack had exclaimed, and she pulled away as she burst into laughter, James's mouth agape, most likely at how they'd been interrupted, because they hadn't seen each other in person for nearly a week due to their conflicting schedules. Kissing through a phone screen was _much_ more different.

"Bloody cockblock," he muttered, just loud enough so that Lily could hear, and she had to stifle another laughter. He turned towards the small child. "Oi, mate. You've been—"

"Are you _married_?" Jack puzzled before James could complete his sentence, and Lily's cheeks reddened at his abstrusity. James now had the upper hand, if she could judge from the smirk on his face.

"Not yet, but I'll have you know I happily intend to put a ring on her finger one day," James chirped, poking Jack in the nose very softly.

"You are very lucky," Jack said, "Ms. Lily is very pretty and nice."

"She is, isn't she?" James responded, "The prettiest and nicest."

Though James always complimented her— he'd made it a habit to text her about how beautiful he thought she was every morning and night— she always felt a fluttering sensation in her stomach, in her heart, just _everywhere_. She didn't know how she could ever get used to it when the feeling that came was no different than the very first time he'd said something about her appearance.

"Right, well, come inside before you melt out there," Lily responded, and James bowed dramatically as he complied, closing the door behind him.

"So what's the game plan today?" James asked once they'd settled on the couch, Lily squeezed between the two men, because that was the only way that it'd work, with both James and Jack wanting to sit beside her.

Lily opened her mouth to respond, but Jack had beaten her to it. "We're going to watch the telly all day."

"All day? That's _boring_ ," James replied, "Why waste your whole summer away like that?"

"We went to the park yesterday! It was very fun. I got to climb the monkey bars and play on the swings."

"Why not do more summer stuff? The telly can wait. Summer _cannot_. Next thing you know, you'll be going to school and learning calculus and all."

"What's calculus?" Jack asked with an innocent tilt of his head.

"A class you'll never want to take—" Lily started.

"It's like riding a bike, except the bike is on fire and there's zombies chasing after you," James finished for her, and Jack giggled at James's answer.

"You're funny, Mr…?"

"James."

"Mr. James! My name starts with a J, too," Jack said with delight, before turning to Lily, "You are lucky, too. Mr. James is funny, and he has cool hair."

"It's amazing, my hair, but oi! Don't change the topic. Let's do summer things. Lily, you've seen the bucket list. We are _not_ letting three weeks go by without checking off at least one item from it."

"Well, if we were to judge you by your hair, I'd say that you've already hit the pool, didn't you?" Lily replied, running her hands through his mostly-dry hair, her lips puckering up at how visibly he enjoyed it.

"Yeah, actually. Sirius flipped me off my float," he said begrudgingly. She snorted at him, and he leaned over, whispering in her ear, "I never thought I'd say this, but thank _god_ you're on your lady days. At least I don't have to worry about missing out on a lay because you've been occupied."

"It also means we can't complete half the things on that list of yours."

He waved her off. "There's the other half. Make popsicles. Have a water fight. Run through sprinklers. Watch the sunset. I reckon we could knock those things off in a day."

"And Jack?"

"He joins us."

"Well, how about it, Jack? Do you want to do those things?" Lily asked, Jack having tuned in to their conversation as soon as the word "popsicles" had left James's lips.

Jack beamed at them, nodding his head frantically as if Lily had suggested that they meet the Queen, which, incidentally, was on the bucket list.

Four items down. 51 left to go.

Go them.

* * *

He should have been mad at the little bugger— he _was_ , but then he'd seen Jack's unusually wide eyes full of sweet innocence— especially when the little tyke _stole_ his girlfriend from him, but those _eyes_. How could anyone resist such eyes?

When James and Lily had written out their bucket list, he'd fully intended it to be accomplished by just the two of them alone, to maximize the romance as much as he possibly could. He had nearly doubled the length of the list by adding on to Lily's normal contributions— _go to a carnival_ had expanded into _kiss at the top of a ferris wheel_ and _kiss on a roller coaster_ and later, _kiss on every ride if possible_ — and his resolve to complete the list stayed firm. They were going to complete it, but right now, their main priority was Jack.

They couldn't very well bring a small child that wasn't theirs to a hotel room— and even if they _did_ have kids, they'd most definitely be voted as the worst parents to have ever been alive—, nor could they really do much else without scarring the poor child for life.

In other news, James had traded his summer-esque wear for more comfortable clothes, only to end up pulling his shirt off to do other summer activities. Lily had argued that it was _his_ fault for suggesting the activities in the first place, and there was no protesting that fact, because she was right.

He didn't mind it, not at all, because now he got to spend time with his girl— his sweet, gorgeous girlfriend, who would not hesitate to slice him in two if he didn't let her pay at least a portion of the bill on dinner dates, despite his assertions that he had more than enough money to pay for every table in the establishment— and what was better than that?

After they'd left the popsicles to chill in the freezer— Lily had to stop Jack from slurping up all of the puree on multiple occasions, but James didn't blame him, not when the sickeningly sweet smell of yogurt and fruit was practically luring them in— she ran over to her house to change into clothes that she didn't mind getting wet, while James helped Jack into his swimming trunks.

His first day with the child was fun, amazing even, and now, as Jack delighted in how he'd successfully striked Lily with a water balloon— unfortunately, she had opted to wear a black shirt rather than white, but maybe that was for the better, because the little bugger didn't deserve to be graced with his girlfriend's beautiful chest— that little hope that James held earlier that day had ceased in its diminishing. James had retaliated by chasing Jack with the hose, obviously put at the very lowest setting, because he wasn't a _monster_ , and had even opted to spray himself just to be even. He didn't want the child to cry and grow up with a fear of water; no child deserved to be scarred for life like that, even if it stemmed from what seemed to be a harmless joke.

And when Lily had brought the popsicles out after being fully chilled, Jack was in complete awe because of how colorful it had turned out. He'd cheerfully taken a popsicle, his ocean blue eyes widening in delight at the taste, and he flashed a thumbs up at James and Lily.

"I hope it tastes at least decent. I wouldn't like if we'd spent all that time, and it comes out horrible," Lily responded, taking a frozen desert for herself and trying it, her tongue licking the very top of the treat. Her lips curled up in a smile.

"See, Ms. Lily! It's good. Mr. James, try it!" Jack exclaimed, his enthusiasm propelled by Lily's reaction to the popsicle.

Of course, the sun had placed its mark on all of its victims, and with the scorching summer heat, the popsicle in Lily's hand was no exception. She'd attempted to lick up the melted parts dripping from her hand, and it only served to create a mess around her lips, a very well, unsubtle reminder of what she'd done with him— or _to_ him— in the comfort of their bedroom on various occasions.

"Oi, Jack, turn around," James said suddenly.

"Why?" the boy asked, the area around his mouth stained with the colors of the popsicle.

"Because you're not going to like what you see."

He obeyed, and James was thankful that this small child was raised with manners and compliance, Jack even going as far as closing his eyes.

He whirled on Lily, who stared at him curiously. "What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Trying the popsicle."

With that, James zeroed in on her and smiled wicked just as he began nipping at the corners of her lips affected with the treat, not yet giving her the satisfaction of a full kiss on the lips. It wasn't too long after though— perhaps only a second later— that she took action for herself and pressed her lips against his, the electricity that he always felt when he kissed her coursing through his body. She tasted _so_ sweet that it had to be a crime, and they'd almost gotten too carried away, with James's tongue nearly tasting the remnants of the popsicle in her mouth that she had not yet swallowed, that Lily pulled away from him.

The music that they had played— ABBA, of course, because James delighted in the song so much that it was almost as if _he_ were the dancing queen himself— was loud enough to muffle the sounds that they had made, luckily, because poor little Jack didn't deserve to be scarred for life due to James's inability to keep it in his pants. The popsicle in Lily's hand had dripped onto James's back when she'd slung her arms around him, and she pouted as she inspected it. "Are you going to ask me to lick it off your back now?"

"Oi, there is a _child_ near us."

"I know," Lily laughed at the irony of his words and his own action of initiation, "I've got a better idea." She took a bite of her popsicle, the cursed thing, before innocently placing it in James's hand and turning Jack around to face them again. She went to go fetch something, most likely another popsicle.

"You were right, Jack," James said, "Tasted _great_." He didn't clarify if it was the popsicle or Lily that tasted great, but _obviously_ he was talking about Lily, because _nothing_ could outdo her, not a flimsy popsicle. He bit into the popsicle and grinned at the boy, who beamed in response.

As it had turned out, Lily did _not_ fetch another popsicle. Instead, she returned with the _hose_ in her hand and practically _showered_ James in water. "Oi!" he yelped, and the popsicle fell out of his hand and landed on the ground with a soft thud. The cold water contrasted greatly against the heat that had been coming down on his skin, courtesy of the sun, but he couldn't bring himself to be mad, not when both she and Jack were laughing with pure elation.

Lily passed the hose to Jack, who immediately pulled a Benedict Arnold as he aimed right at her, drenching her from head to toe, and her lips opened in pure joy at the feeling, the goddess that she was. It was all a mess, really, with the popsicle that James dropped merely a puddle now, and water being flung in practically every direction, but it was all right— no, it was _more_ than all right.

He was having the time of his life, and it was only Day 1 with Lily.

Later, they'd taken to relaxing on one of the benches in the backyard as they dried off, Jack occupying himself with the Minecraft app on James's phone, and James's arm was wrapped around Lily. "What time do the parents come home?" he asked her.

"Mine or his?"

"Both."

"Well, it didn't matter to clear up the ambiguity, because both our parents come home at 6. Care to come over for dinner?"

"I _love_ dinner at the Evans household. I can't believe you'd even _ask._ "

"Are you staying over, then?"

"Yet _another_ dumb question, Lily Evans. Of course I am."

"And without asking me for permission before you crash at my place?"

"Right, my mistake," he said, taking her words as consent to him staying the night with her, "So, Hercules or Mulan tonight?"

She smiled at him, her hand reaching out to trace over his tricep before travelling downwards and ultimately stopping at his hand as she intertwined them together. "Why not both?"

"I reckon if we watch Mulan, we've got to watch its sequel, too."

"Honestly, we should just watch every Disney movie tonight."

"Reckon we could do that in an entire night?"

"Nope. Add that to the bucket list."

"Already ahead of you, love."

* * *

Frankly, Lily should have realized that her job— was it considered a job if she voluntarily chose to babysit the kid?— would not at all have prevented James from attempting to see her everyday, even if he lived a 30 minutes drive away.

James had practically taken over her role as the sitter, and soon, after only four days, Jack clung on tightly— physically _and_ metaphorically— to him, and it was _so_ sweet, with how James's own excitement matched up to that of the boy's. It was funny, really, how James had initially expressed dissent for Lily caring for the child— "Of _course_ I'm bloody jealous of the little bugger who's stealing time away from my girlfriend"— but now? Now, it seemed the roles were switched, with Jack taking James for himself and bursting into tears when James couldn't come over on some days.

They hadn't been able to accomplish too much off of their bucket list, because most of the items were to do specific tasks or go to specific places, with James the smarmy idiot adding kissing at said places as separate items. Lily couldn't even say that she was opposed to it, because she _loved_ kissing him as much as she loved _him_. Of course, that didn't at all stop James from being his overly affectionate-self. At times when Jack went into the bathroom, James had made it a game to see how long of a snog he could get in before the child returned. Their record was 38 seconds, James had announced proudly.

Fast forward to the very last day of caring for Jack, after much hugging and even some tears, Lily and James had retreated to the comfort of her home, and as the opening to the Lion King played on the third-party website that they had gone on, because it wasn't available on Netflix, sadly. They were snuggled up in her blanket together, with Lily's head resting against James's body quite comfortably.

James had washed up and changed into one of his shirt and a pair of boxers, Lily with the exact same wear because he had brought an entire case of his clothes to her house. Who was she to _not_ take advantage of her boyfriend's clothes when they smelled like him?

"Now that the babysitting era is over, which of these items on the list would the lovely Lily Jane Evans like to achieve first?" James asked her, his arms wrapping themselves around her waist in an effort to pull her even closer to him, to the point where she could feel his heart beating against her back and his breath tickling her neck.

"We've checked off items 1 to 7. It's only logical if we keep going in order."

"A road trip to the beach, then? _Excellent_ idea, love. I can't wait to see you in a bikini."

"I can't wait for you to _see_ me in said bikini."

"I can't wait to take said bikini off of you."

"I can't wait to do beach-related activities that are suitable for the entire family," she ended, and he pouted.

"Family?" he repeated, "You're thinking far ahead in the future."

"I suppose," she sighed, her eyes trained on her computer screen, which currently showed the gathering of the animals as Circle of Life played, "Jack's just had me wondering what _our_ kids would look like."

"Our children would be so bloody perfect, seeing as they'd have hot parents who would pass on such intellect that would bring Stephen Hawking to tears."

"Oh god, imagine if they got my red hair and your messy hair."

"I quite like our hair, so if you're insinuating that it'd be bloody horrific—"

"I am—"

"Then you're right," he finished, and her lips curled up into a smile. He told her that her smile was contagious, and it worked for the situation now, because she could practically feel his lips drawing upwards as well. He rested his head on her shoulder, pressing a warm kiss on the skin revealed before pulling off of her.

"I love nights like this," she said, tilting her head backwards to face him.

"Great, because that's how the next month will be like."

" _Just_ next month?"

"If you insist on more time, I'll gladly extend it to the rest of our lives."

God, how could anyone _not_ swoon when James Potter said something _so_ smooth? Lily's heart was practically beating out of her chest, and she _wanted_ James to feel the entirety of the effect that he had on her, but this was _Lion King_ that they were watching. She _had_ to pay it her complete respect, so she settled for pulling his head down to hers and placing a small kiss on his lips.

"Did this kiss count as number 35 on our bucket list? Was very Spider-Man-esque, I'd say, if you consider the technicalities of it all, what with me having been upside-down in a way."

He laughed at her. "Whatever you say, love, but you know, I think it's better to disregard that list. Sets unrealistic expectations, it does."

"Oh? So you _don't_ want me to wear a sundress without any knickers, then?"

"You _know_ I'd kill for that."

"Then, why the sudden change of heart?"

He reached out to pause the movie and spun her around, pulling her onto his lap so that they were chest-to-chest. "Because I realized that it would have been an amazing summer, anyway, as long as I got to be around _you_."

Upon hearing his sweet words, Lily's heart melted, or burst, but whatever it was, she was sure that James could feel it as well. "I don't know how I'm still functioning when everything that comes out of your mouth makes me feel like _such_ a player."

"Are you talking about your heart?" he asked her, and she nodded. "Yeah. It feels like it's having a party of some sort in there, but it's all right. You've got a spare if it fails on you."

"Last time I checked, every person in the world has just the one."

"Nah. You've forgotten that you've stolen my heart, as well."

"That's rude of me. I've got to return it."

"Keep it. At least I'll that know it's in safe hands."

He was going to be the death of her, she thinks, if one of his many capabilities was making her feel like she was on top of the world, but she doesn't mind, not one bit.

She was going to spend the rest of her summer— and most definitely her life— with him and it most definitely _was_ going to the best she's had.

It'll only get better with each fleeting year. That was given.

She couldn't wait.


End file.
